2.1a How can allergen thresholds and consumption amounts be reviewed and updated to inform risk management decisions?

Background

Single exposures to food and feed hazards can give rise to severe ill health and for certain chemical, radiological and food hypersensitivity hazards, repeated exposures from our diet can also build to contribute to long term health effects.

Such hazards may naturally be present within certain foods and feed or may occur from contamination, for example, from the production environment or from manufacturing processes. In the UK, up to 2.4 million adults are living with a diagnosed food allergy, and 600,000 people have Coeliac Disease and the FSA wants to improve the quality of life for people living with food hypersensitivities and support them to make safe and informed choices to effectively manage risk.

The overarching aim of this research priority is to provide evidence to support effective risk management decisions by ensuring the risk analysis process is informed by independent, science-led risk assessment and socio-economic analytical evidence.

Next steps

Get in touch: [email protected]

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

FSA Areas of research interest 2024

Topics

No topics assigned yet

Research fields

No research fields assigned yet

Related UKRI funded projects


  • MICA: Identifying risks for severe life-threatening allergic reactions to foods (IRIS-Allergy)

    Food allergy affects up to 3% of adults and 6% of children in the UK, and causes serious reactions (anaphylaxis) which can be fatal. Key to management is dietary avoidance; despite this, accidental reactions are common. ...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: Imperial College London

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project specifically addresses the identification of patients at greatest risk of severe allergic reactions, which aligns with the question on reviewing allergen thresholds and consumption amounts.

  • Engaging food hypersensitive communities in citizen science

    Eating food prepared outside the home when you have a food hypersensitivity (FH) risks quality of life and causes stress and anxiety, because it is associated with an increased likelihood of accidental or unwanted consum...

    Funded by: BBSRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Bath

    Why might this be relevant?

    While this project focuses on engaging food hypersensitive communities in citizen science, it does not directly address the review and update of allergen thresholds and consumption amounts. However, it provides valuable insights into the experiences of individuals with food hypersensitivity.

  • Improved diagnostics in food allergy (ID-in-FA) Study

    Food allergy is an increasing public health issue, affecting up to 2% of adults and 6% of children in the UK. It is the most common cause of life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). An allergic reaction is a co...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: Imperial College London

    Why might this be relevant?

    This project aims to improve diagnostics in food allergy, which is related to the broader issue of managing food hypersensitivities. While it does not directly address the review and update of allergen thresholds, it provides insights into diagnosing food allergies accurately.

  • FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS CHAMPIONS: TOWARDS IMPROVING FOOD SAFETY STANDARDS IN ONLINE FOOD PROCUREMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH FOOD HYPERSENSITIVITY

    Food hypersensitivity includes allergies, intolerances and coeliac disease. The numbers affected in the UK are not known for sure, but about 1-2% of adults and 5-8% of children have food allergy, which can lead to life-t...

    Funded by: BBSRC

    Lead research organisation: Queen's University Belfast

  • MRC Transition Support CSF Alexandra Santos

    The symptoms of food allergy (FA) result from the release of certain substances by cells of the immune system, called mast cells and basophils, triggered by the interaction between allergy antibodies (called IgE) and foo...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: King's College London

  • Transforming oral food challenges for gold-standard food allergy diagnosis and management in young children

    Food allergy (FA) prevalence and hospitalisations are rising, especially in young children. Sufferers and their families face possible death from anaphylaxis, social exclusion, reduced Quality of Life, and high out-of-po...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: REACTA BIOTECH LIMITED

  • Mechanisms underlying the physiological and cellular response to food allergen challenge in human subjects with peanut allergy

    Food allergy affects up to 2% of adults and 8% of children in the UK, and can cause life-threatening reactions (anaphylaxis) in some but not all individuals. The mainstay of management remains dietary avoidance. There is...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: Imperial College London

  • Multi-Allergen Screening Technology (MAST)

    We have been working on new technology that will ultimately allow up to 100 tests to be performed on blood without the need to prepare the sample in any way. The first target for the MAST platform will be to screen for a...

    Funded by: EPSRC

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

  • BIOMARKERS AND MECHANISMS OF FOOD ALLERGY AND ORAL TOLERANCE IN IgE-SENSITISED CHILDREN

    The symptoms of food allergy (FA) result from the release of certain substances by cells of the immune system, called mast cells and basophils, triggered by the interaction between allergy antibodies and food allergens. ...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: King's College London

  • HDHL Preventing peanut allergy through improved understanding of the transcutaneous sensitisation route, novel food processing and skin care

    Allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and food allergies affect many children across Europe. The immune responses to oral food allergens are well-established and controlled oral allergen exposure methods in earl...

    Funded by: BBSRC

    Lead research organisation: King's College London